6 electrocuted in bus mishap

At least six passengers got electrocuted and as many as 25 were injured, two of them seriously, when a passenger bus on Tuesday evening came in contact with a 11KV live wire at Bhuban village in Orissa’s Dhenkanal district, nearly 120 km from here. The bus named Sanyasi was travelling from Jajpur to Bharasol near Bhuban town.

Eyewitnesses said the mishap occurred when the driver of the bus tried to take the bus on a bypass route meant for pedestrians and bikers as the main road was blockaded by the local villagers in protest against death of a home guard in a road accident.

“Since the main road was blockaded by agitators, the driver tried to take a narrow road over which a 11KV live wire was hanging,” Santosh Pothal, an eyewitness said.

Dhenkanal collector Rupa Roshan Sahoo and superintendent of police immediately reached the spot and supervised the rescue operation.

“We have admitted the injured persons in Kamakshayanagar hospital. Two persons have been shifted to SCM Medical Collage and Hospital, Cuttack,” said collector Ms Sahoo.

Chief minister Naveen Patnaik announced Rs 2 lakh ex-gratia for the next of kin of each deceased and free treatment for the injured. State energy minister Pranab Prakash Das announced Rs 5 lakh ex-gratia for the next of kin of each deceased by the Orissa Power Transmission Corporation Limited.